A network typically comprises a plurality of network nodes connected together by a communications medium. A network node may comprise, for example, a switch, router, personal computer, server, network appliance or any other network device. Each time a network node is connected to a network, the network node may need to be configured with some network information, such as a network address, control codes and so forth. This is typically performed using an input device attached to the network node, such as a keyboard, a keypad, a touch pad, a touch screen, a pointing device and so forth.
Conventional input devices for use with a network node, however, may be unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. For example, in many instances the network nodes may be located within a relatively confined area, such as a vertical storage rack. This minimizes the amount of available space for use of conventional input devices. Further, some conventional input devices may require a user to enter a significant amount of information to configure each network node. This may occur, for example, whenever the input device uses a limited number of physical keys and a hierarchical menu structure. The user may have to traverse many levels of the menu structure to enter the desired network information. This may be tedious and time-consuming work, particularly if a relatively large number of network nodes require such configuration.